Never Simple
by SweetMemories1998
Summary: What if the future had been even more tragic? On the 4th night of the Games, future Juvia shows up right after Lucy is taken by the royal army. Even more surprising, she's pregnant and the question of who the father is leads to the most unexpected answer: "It's Natsu." Of course, it's not as simple as that. Love never is. (Gruvia and NaLu) (minor Jerza, GaLe, AlBis and ElfEver)
1. Complicated Romance

**Hi, everyone.**

 **You know that person who does nothing with her life but writing? That's me. For some reason I've been really inspired these past few weeks, so here I come with another story.**

 **I decided to try writing some NaLu this time, since I rarely do them. For that reason, they might not be completely in character here, so please let me know if my portrayal of them is alright.**

 **This first chapter is all about Gruvia and the establishment of their relationship in the present. I'm thinking 6 chapters at most for this story, so it will be short.**

 **Warning: There is** **MATURE CONTENT** **in this chapter, therefore it is** **M-Rated** **. (I didn't want to rate the whole story M just because of the first chapter)**

 **Happy reading! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite!**

* * *

It was the night of the 4th day of the Grand Magic Games. So much had happened since the beginning of the tournament; it was truly incredible how much could change in so little time.

On the 1st day, Fairy Tail's team had been met by ovations and mocking; yet over the course of the Games they had managed to prove that they were still number one in Fiore. Or, well, close enough.

After Natsu Dragneel single handily defeated both Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth earlier that day, everyone was in high spirits, with the exception of Gajeel Redfox. He had returned to the bar where the guild members were staying earlier that night after having disappeared for most of the day.

Instead of an answer to the worried calls of his friends-even the angry, desperate scolding of Levy McGarden- he came back with a request for his fellow dragon slayers; who accompanied him somewhere the others didn't know.

After they were gone-Erza and Lucy decided to tag along for some reason-the guild silenced considerably. After all, most of the loud noises that could be heard if someone came in usually came from the grou. Specially when Natsu and Gray got into a fight and dragged everyone into it.

Speaking of which, Fairy Tail's own ice mage was no where to be seen that night. They had looked for him for a while, but eventually concluded that he must wish to be left alone.

After all, that day had been no short of overwhelming for him. Besides the tension he had carried during Lyon's-his somewhat brother and rival- battle against Mermaid Heel, there was still the matter of what had happened during the first event of the day: The Naval Battle.

Said battle had happened very early that day and it had been…complicated. While at first it had seemed like only a simple fight between the mages from each guild-4 of them being very attractive women in swimsuits- it quickly escalated once Juvia Lockser and Lucy Heartfilia began to battle.

Even though the two had been friends for months, there was always tension between them because of him. Gray Fullbuster.

It was no secret to anyone-even himself-that Juvia was completely and desperately in love with him. And it was also well known that he had never made his own feelings clear; which frustrated her greatly.

But what made her even more upset was the constant fear that something might be going on between himself and Lucy. After all, how could the thought of the man you love being with one of your closest friends not hurt you?

So Juvia sometimes felt jealous of her blonde friend and the Naval Battle was no exception. Amongst their fight, she made clear to Lucy that not only wouldn't she lose as long as Gray was watching, but she would defeat her "love rival", as she called it.

The celestial wizard, tired of constantly reminding the bluenette that she had no feelings whatsoever for Gray, just went along with it and so began their battle.

It was a tight one; surprisingly so. Many had expected Lucy to easily win, considering she had the most powerful spirit at her disposal: Aquarius.

However, Juvia's motivation was much greater, after all, no motive could be stronger than love. So she fought with everything she had-unknowingly making Gray very proud as he was reminded of just how powerful she truly was- and eventually decided to end the battle.

That's when things got complicated. In a bold act that surprised many and embarrassed Gray, she confessed her love right before using her most powerful spell; which was named after him.

That was why-as everyone supposed-he had disappeared that night. They assumed he must still be feeling embarrassed about the display and probably wanted some alone time. Or maybe he just wanted to avoid everyone so he wouldn't have to hear their opinions on what had happened.

But no one was aware of HIS opinion on what happened. No one knew that Gray hadn't felt as embarrassed as they assumed by Juvia's display of love and had actually enjoyed it. No one would guess because they didn't know the truth about what was happening between the two of them.

They had kept it a secret; per his request. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to meddle in his personal life even more and he knew they would if they learned that him and Juvia were secretly dating.

Now that's something not even the ever perceptive Erza Scarlet had figured out-judging by her words to Gray on the second night. She remained unaware that it had been a while since he had finally faced his feelings and realized that he was actually in love with the water mage.

2 weeks before, while they were still training for the Games, he had come to such realization and a drunken night led him to confess. After a horrible hangover the next morning and the most awkward conversation ever, Gray decided to ask Juvia on a date.

One date led to a few more-although no one knew-and so while their friends thought he was taking some time off, he was actually hiding in plain sight, at Team A's room at the inn.

"Oh, Gray." Juvia moaned as he continued to kiss down her neck.

He smirked at the sound before going lower, reaching for her shoulders and then following the v-cut of her black and blue dress-her coat had been discharged ages ago.

Her breath caught in her throat when he reached her breasts before she grabbed his head and forced it upwards, kissing him hungrily while her legs tightened around his waist. His hands reached for her waist again, pressing her even more against the window-the curtains had been closed as soon as they arrived, of course.

"I thought…we would…talk." Juvia let out breathlessly once they reluctantly pulled apart.

"About what?" His eyes didn't leave her lips as he urged to lean in for another passionate kiss.

"My suggestion." She reminded, raising a brow.

Gray sighed. "Do we have to do that now?"

"We should have…something to tell everyone. You know they'll ask questions." Gray shrugged.

"So? I can just keep pretending that I have no interest in you whatsoever." They had agreed to have him keep going as if clueless about her feelings so no one would suspect.

Unfortunately, it hadn't worked in their favor since Lyon took advantage of his apparent ignorance to keep pursuing Juvia. However, the bluenette had turned him down-as gently as possible. She didn't like hurting people, even if it was necessary.

"I don't want to do that anymore." Juvia admitted just as he had moved to kiss her neck again.

Gray froze before lifting his head, staring at her in confusion. "What exactly are you saying, Juvia?"

Taking a deep breath, she told him "I'm tired of hiding our love and lying to our friends. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we just came clean."

Gray immediately shook his head. "That's not a good idea. You know how they are."

Both were unaware that their friends already knew that they were together. Or at least the dragon slayers had their suspicions. However, being good friends; Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy had agreed to keep it to themselves, guessing the couple wasn't ready to come out yet.

"Besides, I like the way things are between us. I thought you enjoyed the idea of a forbidden romance." Gray added while bringing a hand to softly brush her cheek-something he only did when they were alone.

"I do." Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him close for a soft kiss. "I just think it's not necessary anymore."

"I see." He frowned. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"I know, my love." She smiled gently and reassuringly. "I'm not saying we should tell them now, I just wanted to let you know what I think."

Gray nodded. "I understand how you feel; I'm getting tired of keeping secrets too." Tightening his arms around her waist, he gave a pleading look. "I just need a little more time. Can you wait?"

"Of course." It was her immediate response, unsurprisingly.

He had long since learned that when it came to him, she was willing to go anything. Sometimes the thought brought him fear as he thought of every death that had come from people who thought the same. His parents, Ur.

There wasn't a day that wouldn't go by in which he wouldn't think about their sacrifices and he prayed that Juvia wouldn't have to do the same.

"Good." Gray kissed her again, hoping to distract himself from these dark thoughts.

It worked and his mind was once again clouded with desire when her hands roamed his naked chest before stopping on his guild mark, where she could feel his racing heart.

"I love you." Juvia didn't hesitate to say once they pulled apart, both out of breath.

And since they were alone and he didn't have to worry about anyone's opinion, Gray allowed himself to reply. "I love you too."

Their next kiss was more passionate, desperate and it wasn't long before he was leading them towards his bed and placing her on it.

After taking a few moments to watch the beautiful woman lying there, he quickly joined her, kissing her yet again. His lips quickly found themselves on her neck again-he didn't know why he liked kissing it so much-while his hands reached for her dress and began lifting it up.

At first he only lifted it until her guild mark was showing and he caressed it, enjoying her moans. It wasn't long, however, before his hands ventured upwards and she took a sharp breath once the dress was lifted to her chest, exposing it.

"You're so beautiful." He said without thinking and a smile lit up her face. Joining her hands with his, Juvia finished taking her dress off before throwing it with the rest of their clothes.

"Kiss me." Gray easily complied while his hands roamed over her naked body.

After pulling down her underwear, he had just reached for his boxers when she suddenly pushed him away, gasping.

"What's wrong?" She attempted to sit up, so he let go of her legs and got off from her.

"I don't…know." There was a frightened look in her eyes, which worried him.

"Are you okay?" Juvia shook her head, bringing a hand to her racing heart.

"I can feel something…It's so weird, like someone's trying to talk to me." Gray frowned, confused.

"Who is it?" He sat on the edge of the bed while she leaned against the pillows.

"I don't know. But it's so…familiar. Definitely someone I know." Then her eyes widened as the words reached her ears as if she had suddenly developed dragon slayer hearing. _The bar. Fairy Tail. Important. Future._

"We have to go." Gray eyed her worriedly once she stood up and started gathering her clothes.

"To the bar where everyone's meeting." She passed him his shirt, having successfully managed to put on her dress. "Come on, it's important." He knew it must be, if she was willing to lose alone time with him.

So he quickly dressed himself, all the while fixing her with the same worried gaze.

Juvia barely noticed; her mind was too focused on the strange feeling and the voice that wouldn't leave; so familiar yet she somehow didn't recognize it. Who was calling to her?

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Crocus…_

"Are you sure?" Meredy asked, eyes wide.

"If this is a joke, it's in very poor taste." Ultear added, frowning.

"I'm afraid we gravely mistook the gravity of the situation." Jellal sighed. "If there's a joke in this, it's that our fates were already sealed."

"There must be something we can do!" The pinkette refused to give up.

"Can we even trust her?" Ultear wondered.

"She'd have no reason to lie to us." Jellal replied.

"Besides, we saw it with our own eyes." Meredy reminded her mother. "The proof that she's telling the truth."

"The pregnancy could be fake." The older woman suggested.

"I thought the same. But it isn't." Jellal told her. "Besides, I doubt even Juvia could come up with such a complex story."

"Who would've thought that a simple pregnancy could be so complicated?" Meredy smiled.

"Are you certain she's telling the truth about the child's origins? I've never heard of something like that." Ultear was still doubtful.

"I can't be sure. But this isn't about us; we're not the ones she needs to convince." With this said, Jellal reminded them of the more pressing issue. "We should focus on trying to find a way to save the future, or else it will all happen again."

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **Did you like my take on Gray and Juvia's relationship? I just love doing them secretly dating, as shown by my favorite one-shot,** **A Not So Secret Affair** **.**

 **Also, did I do alright with the sexy scenes? It's not my strong suit, but I tried my best.**

 **Next chapter: NaLu's relationship in the present will be established and future Juvia will make her appearance. So you can count on some funny scenes and more Gruvia too.**

 **Can we try 4 reviews by June 30th?**


	2. Our Future?

**Hey, everyone!**

 **As promised, here I come with chapter 2 of Never Simple. This one is mostly NaLu, but I managed to place some Gruvia moments too.**

 **To the shoutouts:**

 **Star197: Here's more.**

 **MasterGildarts: Thank goodness. I'm really not the best when it comes to smut, I rarely write it. I also love seeing them like this, I wish we had seen more on the manga/anime. **

**glodenglowingsnowdemon: Thank you, thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed chapter 1. You'll see about the child's origins and it's certainly not what you're expecting ;)**

 **I also wanna make a shoutout to Bonneyq, R011ingThunder, CoeurDePluie and adoranymph;** **who are great writers whose stories I haven't had time to read because I've been writing so much.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

"I'm warning you. If you want her, you're gonna have to go through me." Natsu threatened, a fire ball already in hand.

For reasons they didn't fully understand, Lucy had just been accused of treason and the king's army was trying to take her prisoner. However, Fairy Tail would never allow that to happen; they would fight whoever wanted to unjustly trap one of their friends.

"You can't use magic here." Colonel Arcadius, the soldier who had followed them before-towards the cave where Gajeel had discovered the dragon remains- warned.

"Huh?" The dragon slayer was confused, until a bright glow emanated from the gate. Within seconds, he had fallen to the ground; drained and exhausted.

"Natsu!" Lucy worriedly called, trying to step towards him, but was restrained by the guards. "Get your hands off me!"

"Let her go!" Erza yelled, but didn't transform, keeping the soldier's words of caution in mind.

"What happened to me?" Natsu whispered, trying to get up. His body felt weak like never before and his vision was beginning to blur.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes and take a good nap, but that wasn't possible. Not when Lucy was in danger.

He yelled her name, but it came out as nothing more than a whisper.

"I hope you won't cause anymore trouble." Defense Minister Darton told the group of angry wizards. "After all, a group of wizards that can't use magic are no match for the king's army."

As much as they hated to admit it, he was right. While they weren't amateurs when it came to hand-to-hand combat, the soldiers overwhelmed them in strength and numbers. They might not make it out alive if they decided to fight.

"You can't do this!" Arcadius protested, but was quickly silenced by the guards holding him down.

"Arcadius!" Yukino yelled just before being taken away, same as Lucy.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" The latter called while continuing to struggle.

"He'll be fine." Erza reassured her.

"What do we do now?" Wendy wondered, looking between the red head and Gajeel for advice.

"You'll be removed from the castle and may not return." Darton replied. "While we have no reason to hold you prisoner, you have overstayed your welcome."

And so they were pretty much thrown out of the castle by the soldiers, unable to fight back. Once they stood in front of it, silence fell upon the group; with the exception of Natsu's continuous cries for Lucy's name.

The others felt bad for him; knowing just how much the celestial wizard meant to him and how he hated being unable to protect her.

Without much of a choice, though, they moved back towards the bar where the other Fairy Tail members were staying, Darton's last words echoing in their minds. _"If Fairy Tail manages to win the Games, his majesty might consider returning your friend."_

* * *

 _About 30 minutes later…_

"They've taken Lucy hostage?" Mirajane asked after the group revealed the situation.

"To think that she'd be involved in some top-secret project is just utterly ridiculous." Master Makarov said, crossing his arms.

"So let me get this straight. If we take the top-spot, we can ask for her back, but only if his highness allows it?!" Laxus was absolutely furious.

"Personally, I don't believe a word that old guy told us." Gajeel voiced his thoughts.

"Are we just supposed to put up with this crap from those jerks?" Natsu yelled, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

When the group had arrived, he had been unconscious, therefore Erza and Gajeel didn't have much trouble tying him so he wouldn't immediately run back to the palace once he woke up.

"Just untie me so I can go kick their asses!" Wendy tried to calm him down.

"Let's just do what the master tells us." The young girl suggested, but he was having none of it.

"I don't care! Lucy's in danger and if you think I'm just going to sit around like an idiot, you are very mistaken!" He attempted to free himself from the iron handcuffs that Gajeel had tied around his wrists.

"They won't hurt her, Natsu." Erza reassured and a dark look came upon his face.

"They'd better not." It was a threat, they knew it. But one they couldn't allow him to follow since it might just cause the end of the guild.

Still, it was hard not to feel sorry for the guy. They knew how awful he must be feeling after being powerless to stop Lucy's capture.

They were unaware, though, of just how much this was affecting him. Of the thoughts going through his head, dark thoughts. Memories of all the times he had failed her and allowed her to be taken.

Natsu remembered the Phantom Lord battle and how Lucy had been kidnapped while he was fighting against them. He had never forgiven himself for not being there for her and leaving her behind while everyone went after the enemy.

It had been over a year since said battle, but he could still recall how his heart had stopped and his blood ran cold when he overheard Gajeel talking about Lucy's successful capture by the Element 4.

He remembered the emotions that overwhelmed him at that moment. Fear. Dread. Anger. Regret. He had been so scared of losing her, of losing his best friend-besides Happy, of course.

Thankfully, Natsu was able to rescue her from Jose Porla. And after she was back at the guild, safe and sound, the realization still stayed with him: something had changed that day.

After that, he became more protective, careful. Remembering what it felt like to lose her, even if for a short while, was enough to make him always wish to be by her side.

Unfortunately, he couldn't always be.

During the Battle of Fairy Tail, it happened again. Lucy was taken away, or at least that's how he saw it when she was turned to stone.

Once again, he wasn't able to protect her. He didn't even see the danger coming, since it came from old friends. In that moment he finally understood the phrase: "Betrayal only hurts so much because it always come from those we would least expect, those we trust the most."

Natsu kept those words in mind during every mission, every battle. It made him more less trusting of people, but also enabled him to protect Lucy better.

Over the course of the next few battles they had-against Oracion Seis, in Edolas, on Tenrou Island- Natsu managed to keep her safe.

He wasn't always by her side, but it was okay because Lucy had grown stronger over time. He saw her development and it made him so proud, even more knowing he was the one who helped her grow.

So he didn't worry so much over those fights, knowing she could take care of herself just fine.

Now, this was different. She wasn't trapped by a dark guild, but the royal family of Fiore. Even without magic, their political power was above any enemy he had ever faced and Natsu knew he couldn't go against them.

As much as he wanted to make them pay for taking Lucy away again, he knew better. He wasn't as hotheaded and stupid as many assumed.

No, the real problem was letting his emotions take over; which happened frequently when she was involved.

"Are you calm now?" Wendy asked, seeing as he had stopped struggling.

"There's no point in losing our minds now." Erza said just before Master warned. "You need to keep yourself together, Natsu, before you do something you might regret."

He almost wanted to laugh at the falseness of those words.

The real issue wasn't him doing something he might regret. Much on the contrary, it was him regretting not doing things.

Like telling Lucy how he felt.

He wasn't a complete idiot, he knew. Ever since that morning, when she was brutally assaulted by Minerva, he had known exactly how he felt.

He loved her. It was undeniable, as clear as day. His reaction to seeing her get beaten only proved that, although he only realized it when Gray mockingly pointed it out.

Natsu really needed to thank his friend for that. Where the hell was he?

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the streets of Crocus…_

"Are you sure you're okay?" Gray worriedly asked while him and Juvia rushed towards the bar.

"I'm fine." The bluenette replied for the millionth time.

"Juvia, come on. Slow down." She was running so fast that he was having a hard time keeping up. It surprised him just how quick she could be.

"We can't. We need to get there." The familiar voice-which she had yet to decipher- was still talking to her, telling her to hurry.

"Okay, stop." Gray jumped and placed himself right in front of her, forcing her to stop. "We need to talk."

"We can't. That voice…" He interrupted.

"I know, I know. But you can't just barge in there. What if there's danger?" She gave him an anxious look.

"That is precisely why we need to be fast." Gray shook his head.

"No, we need a plan." Juvia sighed.

"We don't have time to make one. Let's just keep our eyes open." He still refused to move, keeping a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"That's not good enough!" He yelled, startling her. Sighing, Gray ran a hand to his messy hair. "Do you have any idea how I'm feeling right now?"

"Gray, what…" Juvia was confused.

"I'm scared, Juvia." He admitted, calming down. "Scared of what?"

"That something might happen to you. I don't…I can't lose you." She cast him a soft smile, finally understanding.

"You won't. I'll be just fine, you'll see." Seeing his unsureness, she moved closer before wrapping her arms around his neck. "We'll be fine." Then she was leaning in for a soft kiss and he eagerly replied, holding onto her waist.

Memories of every death and every sacrifice crossed his mind, but Gray quickly chased them away. He wouldn't let anything happen to Juvia, never.

* * *

 _A few minutes later, with Fairy Tail…_

"So what shall we do, master?" Mirajane asked.

"Well, I suppose we…" Makarov was interrupted by a loud bang as the bar door was forced open. Everyone turned to the couple on the doorway and many eyes widened.

Gray's half-naked state wasn't much of a surprise, but for Juvia to be wearing her simple underdress and with messy hair, it was too suggestive.

"Where the hell have you been, Gray?" Natsu immediately yelled.

"No where. Dinner." The ice mage stuttered under so many scrutinizing stares.

"Is everything okay here?" Juvia asked, looking around the room and attempting to ignore some of the most perverted guild member's eyes on her exposed cleavage.

"Not exactly." Erza answered, sighing.

"What happened?" Gray asked, taking a few steps into the bar while the bluenette followed him.

"Lucy was captured by the royal army." Levy answered and his eyes widened.

"What?" Juvia was stunned too.

"Why would they do that?" Before anyone could reply, a figure appeared by the door, catching everyone's attention.

"Who are you?" The ice mage asked, quickly turning around and pushing Juvia behind him-something which didn't go unnoticed by their friends.

"I'm so glad I've found you." The voice was familiar and most people recognized it immediately.

"What?" Juvia's face paled.

"That voice…It's her." Gajeel whispered while Erza frowned. "How is this possible?"

"Juvia?" Gray asked, looking between his girlfriend and the stranger.

"My love. You're…here." The figure removed her hood, revealing a head of familiar blue hair.

"Impossible." Master shook his head, staring at her in disbelief.

"It was you calling out to me!" Juvia finally realized, stepping away from Gray and facing her twin.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you." The latter replied.

"So you have a twin sister? Why didn't you tell us?" Natsu asked, confused.

"It's not that simple." The other Juvia replied, sighing.

"So who are you?" Gray asked and she frowned while taking a step into the room.

"Could you grab me a chair? I really need to sit down." Everyone stared at her, frozen in shock.

Mirajane was the only one who acted and quickly grabbed an empty chair before walking towards her.

"Thank you, Mira." She sat down, letting out a sigh, and that was when they noticed it.

"What the hell?" Gajeel yelled at the same time as Natsu let out a "No way!".

"This can't be possible." Erza muttered.

All were staring at the woman's clearly enlarged stomach, signaling something that shouldn't be possible.

"You're pregnant?" Juvia asked, eyes wide.

"How?" Gray asked, to which Max replied with a smirk. "I suppose that the usual way."

"Agh, can't you stop that?" The woman complained and their eyes went back to her.

"Are you okay?" Mirajane worriedly asked.

"Fine, fine. It's just the contractions." Their eyes widened even more.

"Contractions?" Natsu asked.

"Oh My God! Are you…" Evergreen realized what must be happening and Juvia confirmed with a nod.

"Yes. Someone has really bad timing." She glared at her stomach, a hand caressing it gently. "It will be hard to explain everything now."

"That can wait. You need to see Porlyusica." Mirajane told her, but she shook her head.

"Nah, it will take a while before I have to give birth, so I'll see her then." She groaned in pain, closing her eyes. "Besides, this is more important. There's so much at stake!"

"What do you mean?" Erza asked, having approached her along with the rest of the guild-everyone gathered close, curious to learn what was going on.

"Something terrible…it will happen tomorrow." These words shocked and confused them.

"Will happen?" Gajeel asked, raising a brow.

"Yes. I've come…from the future." Juvia's eyes widened.

"Future?" How could that be possible? Time traveling?

"How?" Erza wondered.

"The Eclipse Gate. I used it to travel back in time." Future Juvia knew that they had already learned of it.

"So it actually works?" She nodded to Master's question.

"It does, but it took us a whole year to manage to use it. So much happened." Her hands caressed her stomach while she smiled softly, feeling a kick.

"Clearly." Erza said, staring pointedly at it.

"So, who's the father?" Gajeel asked what they were all thinking.

"Like you need to ask." Cana scoffed, smirking in Gray and Juvia's direction. "I bet these two were baby making tonight."

"Cana!" Levy shouted in warning.

"Shut up, Cana!" Gray yelled, blushing furiously as well as Juvia.

"Seriously, is it Gray?" Elfman asked, curious.

"No." Future Juvia shook her head, surprising everyone.

"Then who the hell is it?" The ice mage stepped away from his girlfriend and glared at the pregnant woman. "Lyon? God, if it is Lyon I swear I'll…"

"It's not that simple." She interrupted him.

"How so?" Erza asked, raising a brow.

"It's really complicated. And sad." Juvia sniffled, clearly struggling against tears.

"How complicated can it be?" Gajeel wondered at the same time as Gray asked, more firmly, "Who's the father, Juvia?"

"Well, technically, it's Natsu." The dragon slayer's eyes widened.

"Whaaat?" She really shouldn't have phrased it like that.

* * *

 **So, what do you think?**

 **Did I do okay with NaLu? As I said before, I'm not used to writing them.**

 **What did you think of Future Juvia? Does anyone have theories on how the pregnancy happened?**

 **Next chapter will be called Short-Lived Happiness. You can expect more Gruvia and Nalu; the other couples will also get a mention since there'll be flashbacks. I'll warn you in advance that I've gone pretty graphic with the deaths, ****so caution is advised when reading the next few chapters.**

 **Can we try 5 reviews by July 4th?**


	3. Short-Lived Happiness

**Hi, everyone.**

 **I'm in a good mood after such a great response to chapter 2, so thank you so much for that!** **I'm glad to see you're enjoying this story; hopefully you'll feel the same after the twist at the end of this chapter.**

 **Also, the flashbacks start here, but they'll be expanded throughout chapters 4 and 5 as well.** **I've decided to shatter your hearts piece by piece instead of all at once (insert evil laugh).**

 **Anyways, to the shoutouts:**

 **MasterGildarts : Thank goodness, I tried my best to portray Natsu and Lucy's relationship. I think Natsu knew at that moment or at least suspected it. Good job with your theories, you'll get your answer here. And don't worry, you'll get to see Lucy's side in this chapter. (I wrote it all just for you, so you're welcome ;)**

 **CoeurDePluie : Thank you :) I like that you think my plot is good; I always tend to come up with the most absurd/insane ideas. Same, my friend, same. I have so many fics saved in my favorites list that I really want to read, but writing really takes a lot of my time. And now that I'm doing this exchange course, it's even harder to keep up with my usual schedule.**

 **Star197 : You'll see Gray's reaction here.**

 **Daisy : I loved adding that part. Glad you enjoyed chapter 3, this one is pretty happy so shouldn't traumatize you too much.**

 **Guest : Thanks ;) Let's see if you still feel that way after chapter 4; it will be a heartbreaking one.**

 **glodenglowingsnowdemon : I'm glad you had fun reading this. The next few chapters won't be as lighthearted since there are plenty of deaths coming. You'll get your answer in this chapter.**

 **Guest 2 : Are you a doctor/med student? I think you already guessed what I did here. I'm pretty sure it is impossible in our world, but you know, fanfic are all about the impossible/unlikely. I've seen something similar in a movie called Where's Monday, but it's not the same. In any case, in the Fairy Tail Universe there's magic so there are no limits. Please let me know if your theory was right after you read this chapter.**

 **Happy reading! Don't forget to review, follow and favorite.**

* * *

"Let me go! Natsu!" Lucy worriedly yelled while Yukino watched sadly.

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to get dragged into this." The latter said.

"It's not your fault." The blonde was quick to reassure her.

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" She nodded.

"He was knocked down so easily; that never happens." Giving up on trying to get the cell door to open, she joined her friend on the floor.

"I was surprised too, but I guess the Eclipse Gate really drains wizards of their powers."

"Why did you choose to work on this project?" Lucy curiously asked.

"A long time ago I had a big sister, Sorano. I was always getting into trouble and time after time, she stood up for me when my parents were angry. She was so sweet and beautiful. I was lucky to have a sister like her."

"What happened?" Yukino frowned.

"One night, a cult that worshipped Zeref invaded our village. They killed my parents and took Sorano away." Looking away, her frown deepened. "I wanted to help, but all I could do was run for my life."

"You blame yourself." Lucy quickly realized.

"I should've stopped them and helped her. She was always there for me, but I couldn't be there for her."

"It wasn't your fault." The blonde placed a comforting hand on Yukino's shoulder. "Trust me, I know all about being powerless to save someone you love." This caused Yukino to smile.

"So you love him?" She asked; realizing her friend might be talking about being unable to help Natsu.

"What? Who?" The blonde asked, dropping her hand.

"Natsu. I saw the way you looked at him." Looking down, Yukino blushed. "I know what it's like to be in love."

"I'm not in love." Lucy denied, shaking her head.

She always denied it when people suggested she might have feelings for Natsu. After over a year, she had gotten so used to it that the answer just slipped out.

But it wasn't true. Not anymore.

She didn't know exactly when things changed. Maybe it was the time they fought together on Tenrou Island, or when he cheered her up after her disastrous fight against Flare on the first day.

Maybe even back in Phantom Lord, when she was kidnapped by Jose and Natsu came to her rescue like a knight in shining armor.

Lucy didn't know for sure, but one thing was clear: her feelings had changed. At one point, she realized that she didn't just think of him as her best friend.

There was something more. Something that scared her because she knew what it was like to lose someone you love.

Just like Gray, she had lost people over her life. Her mother, her father, her only childhood friend who moved away. Loss and death were no strange subjects for Lucy and that is why she had been wary of falling in love.

Besides, after spending years watching her father lose himself into work and completely ignore her because she reminded him so much of his wife, she was scared the same would happen to her.

So she had closed herself off; although not as much as Gray. He had taken it to a whole other level and she had tried her best not to get there.

Lucy didn't want to completely reject the idea of love; she still craved it like a normal human would. She just chose to wait for someone who would be worth it.

That someone came. It was Natsu; she was sure of it now. He was the one; the right person for her to open up and overcome her fears.

But still, she was so afraid. What if he didn't feel the same?

"I'm sure he feels the same." As if reading her thoughts, Yukino said.

"I just said I'm not in love with him." Once again, Lucy denied it.

"I know. But what we say isn't always what we feel, is it?" Before she could reply, a hooded figure suddenly appeared on the other side of the cell.

"Who are you?" The blonde stood up quickly, getting into a defensive position. She had no idea if this stranger could be trusted, so it was best to keep her guard up. Even without her keys, she would fight if necessary.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, with Fairy Tail..._

"Who's the father, Juvia?"

"Well, technically, it's Natsu." The dragon slayer's eyes widened. "Whaaat?"

"You…and Salamander?" Gajeel asked, absolutely stunned.

"No way!" Cana stared between the two Juvias and Gray in disbelief.

"I don't buy it." Gray crossed his arms.

"I would never do that to you." Present Juvia shook her head before approaching him.

"Apparently, you did." He replied bitterly, eyes not leaving her counterpart's stomach.

"So I was right!" Cana yelled, startling them. "You two are together."

"Is that true?" Erza asked.

"Well…" Juvia nervously tried to come up with a response, but was saved by her future self.

"I'm so happy to see it." Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Gray and I were together too, but that was before…"

"Before what?" Gray asked, not liking the sad look on her face.

"I lost him." The tears came down, unstoppable.

"No." Present Juvia froze, heart stopping. It couldn't be. This couldn't be the future that awaited her.

The thought of losing him was too heartbreaking to even consider.

"I'm so sorry." Mira told Future Juvia ever so gently while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"He…he was gone. They're all gone." She was sobbing hard, her words barely understandable.

"What happened?" Natsu asked, having finally recovered from the shock her words had caused.

"It was horrible. So awful and…unexpected. None of us saw it coming." She attempted to dry her tears, knowing that explaining things was the priority.

But still, she was broken.

"I don't think I want to know." Lisanna whispered and some people nodded.

"Doesn't sound like the future will be very good." Evergreen whispered to Freed, who sighed. "What troubles await us, I wonder."

"Juvia. Please, tell us what happened." Erza pleaded and the pregnant bluenette nodded.

"O-Okay." Taking a deep breath, she began the tragic tale of the past year of her life and all the horrors she wished to prevent.

* * *

 _1 year before…_

 _"_ _Am I seeing things?" Lucy whispered, staring at the sky in disbelief._

 _"_ _If you are, so am I." Juvia replied._

 _"_ _Those are…dragons. But how?" Gray whispered, stepping closer to his girlfriend._

 _"_ _A lot of dragons." Happy whispered from his spot on Natsu's shoulders._

 _"_ _I guess we have work to do, then." The dragon slayer said, already preparing a fiery fist._

 _"_ _Let's take them down." The ice mage agreed._

 _It was a solid plan, but didn't work that way. There were too many dragons, 10.000 of them, so after hours of fighting and watching the capital of Fiore being burnt to the ground, they realized it was no use._

 _There was no way they could possibly defeat all of them, much less in one night. So Master Makarov advised them to retreat and, with the help of Blue Pegasus and their airship, most of the guild wizards managed to escape._

 _But the nightmare didn't end, it was far from over._

* * *

 _In the following months, the dragons spread across the kingdom and took over many towns. So many ended up dead, precious lives lost in the blink of an eye._

 _For some miraculous reason, Magnolia wasn't chosen by the dragons, so Fairy Tail was able to stay safe while planning for a way to fix their horrible situation. They were given the best gift anyone could wish for during war: time._

 _And over that time, many things changed. Friendships were reinforced, romances began, relationships evolved._

 _Elfman and Evergreen got together not long after the first attack. It was no surprise to the rest of the guild and everyone was happy for them._

 _The couple had a complicated relationship, that's for sure. To anyone looking, it might seem strange that they were actually together; since they fought almost on a daily basis._

 _However, their friends understood that their fights were just their way of showing how much they loved each other. They knew that, behind every argument, Elfman and Evergreen were voicing their fear of losing each other._

 _Within only 4 months, they announced their unexpected and quick engagement, shocking most people._

 _At the same time, Bisca Connell announced her second pregnancy, much to everyone's happiness. Her and Alzack had become the guild's it couple with their sweet relationship and adorable daughter. They were the example many couples wanted to follow._

 _Another rather complicated romance was the relationship between Erza and Jellal. Since the world was thrown into chaos after the dragons attack and the council was (rather easily) defeated, the search for him was no more. He didn't have to worry about wanted posters or being thrown back into prison, since there was no prison anymore._

 _So Erza convinced him to move to Magnolia-rather easily too- and they finally got to be together like both had wished._

 _Of course, it took a good while for Jellal to allow himself to be by her side since he still lived with the guilt of what he'd done in the past._

 _But after 2 months, the two finally announced that they were dating and, in a twist no one saw coming, their engagement was heard of a month later, right after Meredy was reported dead. It was quick, but as their friends thought of how long they had been forced to wait, they understood why the couple decided to get married so quickly._

 _Besides, in the world they lived in, time was precious and unpredictable, so it made perfect sense that Ezra and Jellal would wish to cherish each other for long as they could._

 _Similar to Elfman and Evergreen's romance, Gajeel and Levy also got together over the months following the initial attack. This relationship was a big surprise and shock, but eventually everyone got used to the new couple._

 _It wasn't very hard since it quickly became clear that they were a match made in heaven. As different or opposites as they were, they complimented each other so perfectly that the others began to wonder why they hadn't seen this matchup before._

 _It was very sweet how Gajeel became more kinder_ _, more_ _cheerful and overall just happier after they began dating. At the same time, Levy became more confident and powerful-they trained together many times and so she enhanced her magical abilities._

 _The person who admired the couple most was Juvia. Having been Gajeel's best friend for years, the bluenette was ecstatic to see him in a happy relationship._

 _She thanked Levy many times for choosing the dragon slayer, to which he just rolled his eyes while the petit woman gave a reassuring smile and said she wouldn't have chosen anyone else, prompting him to kiss her._

 _Juvia watched their love grow with a bright smile that was also a symbol of her own happiness at her stable relationship with Gray. Besides Alzack and Bisca, these two became Fairy Tail's most adored couple._

 _Another couple that was anything but unexpected was Natsu and Lucy. These two were perfect for each other, as many would say, and it didn't take them long to realize that._

 _Their friendship turned into romance on the very night of the dragons' invasion, when Lucy was almost killed by one of the monsters. It was all it took for Natsu to decide to confess to her-which he had been planning on doing ever since realizing his feelings on the 4th day._

 _After he did so, the celestial wizard didn't take long to admit her own feelings for him and after a passionate kiss that almost got both killed-they were lucky for Gray and Juvia's timely appearance- they finally got together._

 _Over the following months, the couple quickly got used to the changes in their relationship. It felt natural, right._

 _Less than a month after July 7th, Lucy suggested that him and Happy move into her apartment, to which Natsu happily agreed._

 _That prompted many of their friends to begin calling them an old married couple, which was meant to be mocking, but the couple just shrugged it off with a smile._

 _They were happy, blissful even. With the dragons away from Magnolia and a false sense of safety, they allowed themselves to just be together._

 _Everything was relatively okay, until the moment it all changed._

 _About 4 months after the attack, Lucy found something out. Something which troubled her, because it just couldn't be._

 _Juvia was the one who discovered her crying on the bathroom_ _floor_ _, having come to pay a visit like she did every week. The bluenette comforted her even without knowing what was wrong and the two got to talking._

 _So Lucy revealed the truth to her._

 _Unable to actually say the words, she showed Juvia the small object Porlyusica had given her when she had stopped by the guild earlier that morning._

 _It was a test. A pregnancy test, because the healer suspected that she might be carrying a child even though the blonde knew it was impossible._

 _Juvia would never forget that moment. Holding onto the test in her shaky hands, eyes wide as she realized what the blue color meant._

 _Lucy was pregnant. A baby was growing inside of her. A baby!_

 _It should be a reason for happiness, but the bluenette understood why her friend wasn't happy. And it wasn't because she feared Natsu's reaction or the possibility of becoming a mother._

 _No, those concerns were for a normal pregnancy in a normal world._

 _But they didn't leave in a normal world, they lived in an eternal nightmare of dragons and death._

 _A nightmare which hadn't yet taken them completely, but would soon enough._

* * *

 **So, thoughts?**

 **I know, I know; this is getting crazy! (and long. Sorry about that, but the Lucy x Yukino scene just got out of hand!)**

 **What did you think of the plot twist with Lucy being actually the one who's pregnant?**

 **What about the flashbacks? I couldn't not include Jerza, GaLe or ElfEver; these are some of my favorite ships. They won't be so happy later in the story, though.**

 **About the present, can you guess who came to visit Lucy and Yukino?**

 **Next chapter will be called** **Losing Everything.** **There'll be plenty of Pregnant NaLu Fluff and Gruvia Angst. Be prepared for some dark and heartbreaking scenes, cause the deaths will begin. Are you ready?**

 **Let's try a challenge and 8 reviews by July 10th?**


	4. Losing Everything

**Hey, everyone.**

 **Once again, I want to thank you for all your comments. It makes me really happy to see that you are enjoying this story.**

 **I so wanted to post this chapter sooner, but since I hadn't written chapter 5 yet, I didn't want to keep you waiting for that one. Now that I've already gotten it started, it shouldn't take long for it to be posted.**

 **Now, to the shoutouts:**

 **NyanMew123 : I'm glad! ;) Hopefully you'll feel the same after this chapter.**

 **Guest 2 : I know the type; I also watched too many Tv Shows involving doctors. House, Grey's Anatomy; you name it. That's so cool, you're like a miracle cause I can't imagine not needing explanations when being around med students. Although I have only one friend who's graduating from Medicine, but he lives in Spain while I live in Brazil; so we rarely talk face to face.**

 **Anyways, I hope you really are ready for the angst, cause this chapter is just too much even for me.**

 **Guest : Glad to hear it :) Good guess about the person who appeared in front of Lucy and Yukino, but SPOILER ALERT it isn't Future Lucy. She won't be in this story, as you'll find out next chapter. I love how you phrased what happens, it's exactly how I would've explained it: "** **Juvia who is nearby agrees to somehow (through magic I'm guessing) become pregnant with the child so it can live."**

 **I also like NaLu and Gruvia, though for some reason I rarely write the former. And Juvia x Lucy is my second favorite Juvia brotp. First is GaJuvia, then JuLu, then Juvia x Erza.**

 **I also think it's very touching that Juvia would agree to carry Natsu and Lucy's baby. You'll get to see this chapter just how deep the connection between her and the child goes.**

 **daisy : Yep. Everything you said is correct. **

**MasterGildarts : I had fun writing Lucy's side and I think it fit her well. Lucy x Yukino is one of my Lucy brotps, so I had to add them. Aren't we all confused, my friend? I know I am and I'm the one writing this story. **

**I'm so glad you pointed out my inclusion of the other ships, mainly Elfgreen (I prefer to call it ElfEver). I have no idea why they tend to get ignored; they are such a great ship. I mean, I love both Ever and Elfman, so I always try to include them in my stories. In one of them (Demons) they are actually pregnant and almost engaged. **

**Also, AlBis, yet another underrated couple. I have no idea why they rarely show up in fan fiction, but they are too cute. I also try to include them as much as I can. There's even a chapter of Connections in which Gray and Juvia babysit Asuka (instead of NaLu) and it's the most adorable thing ever. **

**Star197 : Here we go with more. **

**glodenglowingsnowdemon : I'm so glad you're choosing my story over your midterms. Just kidding, but thanks for reading. So glad you love it, hopefully ****you'll feel the same after this chapter.**

 **bibliophileforevs: Your theories are correct; you'll get the full answer in the next chapter. Don't worry about ranting, I do that a lot too.**

 **Sorry this was so long, guys, I just got excited from your responses. Please, keep them coming!**

 **WARNING: This chapter deals with SUICIDE and there may be GRAPHIC descriptions of DEATH. Therefore, caution is advised when reading. **

* * *

_Much to Lucy's surprise, Natsu had been ecstatic when he learned of her pregnancy. He showed nothing but love and support, which helped calm her down._

 _"I wasn't expecting this." She admitted afterwards, to which he frowned._

 _"What were you expecting, Luce?" Looking away, towards where Gray and Juvia were watching them from the distance, she sighed._

 _"To be honest, I don't know. It just never crossed my mind that you would be so happy about this." Natsu smiled, placing a hand on her still flat stomach._

 _"Why wouldn't I be happy? It's our baby, Lucy." She placed her hand on top of his, unable to stop the small smile that came upon her face. "We created it together and that makes me happy."_

 _"You're so sweet." She told him just before they leant in for a soft kiss._

 _"I'll always be by your side. You know that, right?" Natsu said once they pulled apart._

 _"I do now." Smiling brightly, Lucy threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you."_

 _She hadn't known, but his reassurance was all she'd needed. The reminder that she had someone who loved her unconditionally was enough to chase away her fears and doubts._ _It was enough to make her happy._

* * *

 _A month passed. Lucy was about 3 months along and things were going relatively fine between them._

 _Even though they had a hard time dealing with the changes brought by the pregnancy, their friends were there to help out._

 _Levy and Juvia always offered to stay with Lucy when Natsu had to go on missions-mostly to rescue people from towns that were attacked by dragons- and even Gajeel stepped in sometimes. Gray, the Strauss siblings, Alzack and Bisca; everyone was there for them._

 _The latter gave plenty of tips to the celestial wizard about being pregnant, while also going through her own pregnancy. It helped Lucy a lot, knowing she had someone who knew what it was like._

 _The only person who wasn't there to help was Erza. The red head was too preoccupied with Jellal, who had recently become her fiancée, and figuring out a way to stop the dragons._

 _After Makarov's unexpected death on the same day Lucy learned she was pregnant, Erza was appointed Fairy Tail's newest master._

 _However, due to her engagement to Jellal, she had turned the offer down and passed it onto Laxus, who, alongside Mira-these two had_ _recently_ _gotten together somehow- became the master of the guild._

 _In any case, the guild was there to support Natsu and Lucy through their new challenge and so they were okay. Until that tragic day._

* * *

 _5 months. That's how long it took for the dragons to finally decide to invade Magnolia._

 _The attack was as unexpected as the first one; and much more brutal. Dead bodies spread like fire and the beautiful town was turned to ash._

 _For the first time in forever, Fairy Tail found themselves facing an enemy they couldn't defeat. Only 3 dragon slayers-the only remaining dragon slayers, since Sting, Rogue and Cobra had long since been defeated- were no match against hundreds of dragons._

 _Tragedy stroke that night, breaking many hearts and souls. Most Fairy Tail members didn't survive and the few who did, lost everything._

 _Juvia was one of them. She and Gray had been on a double date with Jellal and Erza that night, so they hadn't been at the guild hall where the dragons struck first._

 _They weren't forced to watch most of their friends' immediate demise or their home being burn to the ground, but that doesn't mean they were lucky._

 _After a commotion began and they realized the attack was happening, the group of 4 quickly left the restaurant and began planning an evacuation; knowing that fighting against the dragons would be futile._

 _It was decided that the surviving members of Fairy Tail would move to Blue Pegasus' hideout, where most of the surviving wizards were staying. It was the safest place to go._

 _They ran through the city, searching for their friends. However,_ _before they could reach Natsu and Lucy, who had been having a nap when it all happened or Gajeel and Levy, who had just returned from a mission,_ _everything fell apart_

 _Erza was the first to be hit. It came out of no where, literally, but soon enough she had fallen to the ground, clutching her stomach. Jellal screamed her name before kneeling by her side and taking her in his arms while the other couple prepared to defend themselves._

 _The enemy this time were small dragons that appeared harmless, but were actually deadly. Gray and Juvia did their best to keep the monsters at bay while Jellal desperately tried to save Erza._

 _However, without a healer nearby, his efforts were futile. She died within minutes, after muttering those three words that should bring him happiness. **I love you.**_

 _While he brokenly sobbed onto her lifeless body, begging her to come back, Juvia was targeted by a dragon coming from behind her._ _It would have been an easy kill if Gray hadn't acted fast, quickly pushing her aside._

 _Unfortunately, he ended up being hit instead. Not just once either, dragons from all sides aimed at him until he had been hit several times and his body dropped._ _He didn't even get to say goodbye to Juvia, all he managed was to share one last loving look with his girlfriend before he was gone._

 _His death caused her to completely lose it and a large amount of magic power was released, successfully eliminating all of the dragons._

 _The threat was gone, but so was the man she loved._

 _Just like Jellal had done before, she gathered Gray's body in her arms and cried while the skies turned black and rain fell harder than ever._

 _Amongst her grief, she missed the moment Jellal reached for a hidden dagger inside his coat._ _It wasn't until he called her name and apologized that she realized what he was going to do, but it was too late._

 _He slit his own throat before dropping, Erza's body falling on top of him. He held her in his arms while bleeding to death and Juvia could do nothing but watch in horror._

 _It were the longest minutes of her life, watching one of her closest friends kill himself without warning; but she didn't blame him. She understood._

 _Noticing that he had thrown the dagger in her direction, she was tempted to do the same. Without Gray there was no reason for her to keep living, so she grabbed the knife and held it against her throat._

 _Just as she had been about to do it, though, life chose to interfere._

 _Natsu and Lucy showed up alongside Levy, Gajeel, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, Porlyusica and Dorenbolt-Jellal had long since contacted him and asked him to move them to the hideout._

 _The group watched the horrific scene in shock while Lucy quickly ran to Juvia's side. Kneeling down, she pleaded for the bluenette to live and, while at first she had been reluctant, Juvia eventually decided to follow her friends' words._

 _She didn't know exactly what it was that convinced her to keep going even after Gray's death, but she was grateful for it._

 _She knew he wouldn't want his sacrifice to be in vain, so she chose to honor it by staying alive._

* * *

 _"You okay, Luce?" Ever worried, Natsu reached his girlfriend as she lay on the couch; Juvia by her side._

 _"Yes, everything's fine." Lucy quickly reassured, a hand placed on her enlarged stomach._

 _"The baby was just kicking." The bluenette explained, placing a hand above the spot where she could feel it._

 _It had been 2 months since they had moved to Blue Pegasus' hideout and things were actually going well._

 _Just as Itchia had predicted, this was the safest place to be._ _There wasn't a hint of dragons approaching the giant mansion, as if the world was the same as the last time the Fairy Tail wizards had been there._

 _The only indication of the monsters' presence was the low number of mages living there._

 _Blue Pegasus' elite plus Jenny had long since escaped and it seemed as if Lamia Scale had joined them even before Fairy Tail. Although not all wizards from said guild were there. The ice mage Lyon Vastia had been killed months before along with wizard-saint Jura; surprisingly._

 _So that left Sherry, who had married Ren over the past few months; Toby, Yuka and Chelia._

 _Besides Lamia Scale, Sabertooth's Yukino-the only survivor from said guild- had taken solace in the hideout and constantly worked on finding a way to get the Eclipse Gate to function again._

 _It had long since been planned for them to go back in time and prevent the tragedies._

 _Lucy, Levy and the other Fairy Tail mages helped as much as they could, but there wasn't truly much they could do. The gate had been destroyed during the first attack, so all they had left were the pieces that Sabertooth had managed to gather afterwards._

 _"Really? Can I feel it?" The white haired celestial spirit asked, coming into the room._

 _"Of course." Lucy replied, smiling brightly._

 _Juvia stood up from the couch, letting Yukino take her place, and walked over to Gajeel. The two of them had grown even closer over the past two months since Gray's death and he had been really supportive._

 _"You okay?" The dragon slayer asked, noticing the unshed tears in her eyes._

 _"Yeah." She sniffled, attempting a smile. "I just miss him."_

 _"I know." He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her and she hugged him tightly, allowing her head to rest against his hard chest while closing her eyes._

 _There were times when it was unbearable. The memory of Gray and the pain she had felt when he died still overwhelmed her._

 _She was broken. Heart and soul shattered to pieces because of his absence. Something was missing, which could never be replaced._

 _It was so hard, but it had gotten better. Juvia had found new reasons to live and keep going; always keeping the reminder that Gray's sacrifice would be in vain if she chose to take her life again._

 _Thanks to her friends, it had gotten easier over time. Not easy, no, losing him would never become easy. But it was better and the biggest reason for it was Natsu and Lucy's baby._

 _Every time she thought of killing herself, she would remember that new life. A precious life which she felt the need to protect with everything she had._

 _Juvia wasn't sure why she was so attached to the baby, but she guessed it must be the knowledge that she herself might never become a mother. With Gray gone, any desire she ever had to have a child vanished._

 _She wouldn't have wanted anyone to father her children; there had only been him._

 _So Natsu and Lucy's unborn child became her only chance of parenting-s_ _he knew they would need her help; both rather clueless about children-and_ _the excitement of watching her friend's stomach grow and the wait for the baby's birth was what kept her going._

 _She wanted to be there when it was born and to raise it alongside her friends. She wanted to become an aunt, to love it and protect it like its parents. She wanted to be a part of their life; so she chose to stay._

 _"This is weird." Yukino said, breaking Juvia out of her thoughts._

 _"Yeah, but it's also wonderful." Bisca was the one who said it, entering the room with Alzack and Asuka behind her._

 _By then she was in her 8th month, very close to giving birth to her son. Everyone was anxiously awaiting to meet the precious baby boy; Asuka most of all-the little girl wanted nothing more than to become a big sister._

 _"I thought you weren't supposed to walk around." Gajeel told her, eyebrows raised._

 _"Try telling her that." Alzack replied, rolling his eyes._

 _"I'm tired of staying put; we've done enough of that ever since we got here." Bisca argued; and it was true. Ever since they had arrived at the hideout, the Fairy Tail wizards had to get used to being stuck somewhere without going on missions like they did before._

 _Gajeel and Natsu had the most trouble getting used to it._

 _"Wow, that was a big one." Yukino said, startled, while Lucy laughed._

 _"Yes. Looks like someone's excited today." A smile lightened Natsu's face at the sight and he quickly approached his girlfriend._

 _"Now it's my turn!_ _" He sat down on Yukino's place and Lucy took his hands before guiding them towards the spot where the baby was kicking._

 _"Wow!" She laughed at the look of amazement on his face._

 _"I know." The couple was silent for a few moments before Natsu broke it._

 _"It's kinda crazy, isn't it?" She laughed, nodding._

 _"Yes. We're having a baby." He smiled brightly, taking one of her hands in his._

 _"We're having a baby." Overwhelmed with joy, they leaned in for a passionate kiss._

 _Despite everything they had lost, they were still able to feel happiness and it was all because of their unborn child._

* * *

 _"I have an idea of what we should name her." Natsu said a month later; after Porlyusica (finally) revealed that they were having a girl._

 _"You do?" Lucy was surprised; she didn't imagine that he'd actually think about it so soon._

 _"Yep." He lay by her side; they were currently outside of the hideout, where Lucy and Juvia had agreed to have a picnic. Although the bluenette had yet to arrive; she was probably working with Yukino and Levy on fixing the Eclipse Gate._

 _"So, what is it?" Lucy asked, a bit impatient after he was silent for a while as his hands caressed her stomach._

 _"Layla." Her eyes widened. "It's the perfect name."_

 _"Natsu..." She turned to look at him, brown eyes shining with unshed tears._

 _"I know how much you miss your mom, so I thought we should honor her like that. Don't you like it?" He was a bit confused about her tears; still getting used to how over emotional the pregnancy had made her._

 _"I do, I love it." But she was crying and he frowned._

 _"Then why are you crying?" Lucy tried a smile, but it was hard when she was sobbing._

 _"I'm just so happy." Without warning, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug; to which he replied._

 _"It's okay, Luce." Natsu attempted to calm her down, still freaking out a bit, and that's how Juvia found them a few moments later._

 _The bluenette smiled before quietly sitting down and placing a hand on Lucy's back._

 _"Is everything okay?" She glanced towards the dragon slayer, who nodded._

 _"Yeah, Lucy's just emotional because of the name we picked." Her eyes widened._

 _"You already chose it?" He nodded._

 _"Layla. The moment Porlyusica told us we were having a girl, I already knew." Lucy pulled apart at that very moment and stared at him as many emotions crossed her face. Surprise. Sadness. Happiness. Gratefulness. Love._

 _"I love you so much." Natsu smiled brightly before bringing a hand to her cheek and wiping away a few tears. "I love you too, Lucy." They kissed then, desperately, happily, beautifully; and Juvia smiled bitterly._

 _She remembered when Gray used to kiss her like that or tell her that he loved her._ _It hurt, being reminded of what she once had, but she tried to focus on the happiness she felt for her friends._

 _A happiness that was about to be taken away, because Gajeel came running towards them, looking frightened. "You need to get out of here!" He yelled, ruining the moment._

 _"The hell you want?" Natsu angrily told him after pulling apart from the kiss._

 _"Gajeel, what's wrong?" Juvia quickly stood up, eyeing her best friend worriedly._

 _"Can't you hear it, Salamander?" The iron dragon slayer turned to Natsu instead._

 _"Shit!" The latter's face paled._

 _"What's going on?" Lucy asked when he quickly stood up before helping her._

 _"We need to go, Lucy." She furrowed her brows._

 _"Why?" She was worried by the paleness of his face and terrified look in his eyes._

 _"They're here, aren't they?" Juvia realized._

 _"We need to move." Gajeel replied, anxious._

 _"But where?" Lucy wondered._

 _"Antartica. It's the only place they haven't taken over; they stay away because of the cold." He replied and Juvia's face paled._

 _Antartica was Gray's old home town; the one that had been destroyed by Deliora._

 _"I can't go there." Everyone turned to her, understanding looks on their faces._

 _"Juvia..." Gajeel began, but next thing they knew a huge fire ball was heading towards the hideout._

 _Miraculously enough, Juvia managed to create a water barrier around it just in time to block the attack._

 _"Let's go!" Gajeel yelled, beginning to move towards the huge mansion. They could hear screams as their friends prepared to escape._

 _But it was far too late. The dragons were already beginning to burn down the forest and they knew their chances of actually getting away were slim._

* * *

 **So, what did you think? Anyone still alive after this chapter?**

 **Did you enjoy the sweet NaLu moments? I'm afraid there won't be more of those :(**

 **As for Gruvia and Jerza, God, why did I do that to them? I knew Gray had to die, but I have no idea why I included Erza's death and Jellal's suicide.**

 **Guess I just figured I'd make this as angsty as possible since I'm allowed to kill characters-everything will return to normal in the past/present anyways.**

 **Next chapter will be called** **Keep Her Safe. You'll get the last of NaLu before they reach their tragic ends, then some Juvia x Lucy friendship. We'll also go back to the present and you can count on some happier Jerza, worried Natsu and Gruvia.**

 **Can we try 8 reviews by July 14th?**


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